Category Archives: United States Brewpubs

HUDSON ALE WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

Hudson Ale Works - It's almost that time. Our deck is ready and we are super excited to welcome you back this weekend! We will be serving a shortened food menu but

HIGHLAND, NEW YORK

A cavernous cement-floored tavern with industrial wood-metal furnishings, recycled pallet-wood backdrops and a concrete slate-topped serving station boasting 14-plus homemade draughts, HUDSON ALE WORKS opened in 2016. Local garage-brewing Highland natives, Josh Zimmerman, Neil Trapani and Adam Trapani, took a dilapidated 7,500 square-foot machine shop and turned the rustic corrugated steel-roofed spot into a snazzy l’il pub celebrating “Industrial life with a trendy low-key vibe.”

A right side tabled section with lacquered bark counter opposes the small bar area and the overhead-doored, white cement-walled far right area leads to a back lounge lodging two picnic tables, wicker seating and a huge TV. A picnic-tabled front deck offers further seating. Nano brew tanks are stored at the rear.

Alongside an array of approachable brews, Hudson Ale Works also serves fine wines, meads and cider.

I discovered thirteen Hudson brews on my sunny noontime Saturday journey, late September ’21.

Hudson Ale Works - Home | Facebook

Smoothly crisp gold-cleared Czech lager, Swillsner, drew herbed corn-maize rusticity to dry lemon rind bittering above biscuity pilsner malting.

Crisp Hawzen Bavarian Lager let sweet leafed dewy mossing address spiced tea-like herbage and dry red-orange fruiting.

Banana-chipped clove spicing and orange oiled tartness grazed the whiskeyed wheat malts pacifying How Sweet Wit Is, a slightly divergent dryer witbier.

Orange-dried fungi musk and mild earthen truffle pungency gained sweetly spiced pale malt alacrity for Highland Helles.

Cloudily faded golden-hued moderation, Citra Session IPA, brought lemon-pitted grapefruit bittering to dry herbal whims, picking up subtle mandarin orange, pineapple and mango tropicalia.

Over a richer pale malt setting, the dual-hopped version, Citra Mosaic IPA, retained a steadfast lemony grapefruit-orange tang and sly wood-toned niche.

Earthy herbal tea bittering sedately crept thru sessionable dry-hopped Gnpwdr Green Tea IPA, a pasty pale malted green-black tea derivative.

Lactose Hazy Boi, a dry Nelson Sauvin-hopped NEIPA infused with pineapple, left a zesty grapefruit bittering upon the salty pineapple tang fortified by oats-flaked wheat malting. 

Soft papaya pureed tartness bowed to citrus-juiced hop acidity above wet grain musk for Sour Boi, a lactobacillus-soured hazy IPA offshoot.

Lemon-juiced lime salting catapulted tequila-barreled Century Plant Gose, a pleasingly puckered agave-daubed aluminum-yellowed cocktail.

Oaken cherry tartness and tannic green grape esters induced Pucker Up Flemish Sour, leaving pleasantly peculiar charcoal soot on its piquant gooseberry pucker.

Coriander-spiced orange zesting engaged gentle honeyed oats malting for Trappist Punk, a modest Belgian-styled tripel.

Confectionery chocolate-kissed raspberry tartness and sweetly sour bruised black cherry tang rode atop the lightly embittered hop char of Raspberry Vanilla Stout, a wispily vanilla-creamed cocoa-forward dessert with latent blackberry-jammed red grape esters.

RIVER OUTPOST BREWING CO.

United States Brewpubs,

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PEEKSKILL, NEW YORK

Occupying a multi-functional food and entertainment event space on the Hudson River one mile South of landmark Peekskill Brewery, RIVER OUTPOST BREWING COMPANY has been operating inside the red brick high-ceilinged Factoria warehouse since February ’18. Funded by nearby Captain Lawrence, this gargantuan indoor/outdoor pub only distributes its beers onsite.

Before becoming a pilot brewer of sour ales and barrel-aged beer at Captain Lawrence, University of Vermont alumni Mc Lean Cheney proved his wares as a beverage industry consultant, earning his wings at Colorado’s Aspen Brewing before he and his chef-wife moved back to his home state of Jersey, landing a gig as head brewer for Connecticut’s Half Full – crafting their award-winning Bright Ale. It wasn’t long ’til Cheney got promoted from Captain Lawrence to man the tall glass-enclosed stainless steel tanks at independent offshoot, River Outpost.

A spacious indoor-outdoor complex, River Outpost’s rectangular tiki bar services the ample blue umbrella-shaded deck and the stage-bound bench-tabled picnic area. Inside, the all-encompassing cement-floored gallery features a wood-lacquered 12-seat bar (with eight-plus taps and 3 TV’s), spread-out wood tabled dining, a big game room, axe throwing section, billiard table and small couched lounge.

Cheney’s four IPA’s, three lagers and one sour ale stay within stylistic range, but each bring out a unique aspect just beyond the boundaries. Try the raw bar, hearth-fired pizza or sandwiches and burgers to chase down the delightful suds.

My wife and I arrived on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, late September ’21, to consume all eight homemade brews.

Crisp aluminum-yellowed light-bodied mainstay, Cool Hands Lager, let corn-dried cereal graining scour sour lemondrop dollop, vegetal celery watering and wispy herbal snips. The perfect alternative for light mainstream Bud-Coors-Miller thirsts.

Rich brown-cleared amber lager, Festbier Skill, coalesced crusty chocolate breading with earthen truffle, dewy fungi, spiced dried fruiting and leafy hop foliage, slightly furthering its stylistic flavor parameters.

Dark chocolate-roasted ice coffee tones led Uno Mano Fuerte Black Lager, bringing mild peppery heat to the backend.

Straightforward Canoe IPA brought lemony yellow grapefruit sunshine and mandarin orange zesting to herbal wood tones in crisp fashion.

Clean Norwegian Kveik yeast brightened the modest lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering and zesty orange tang of Banjo Juice Kveik IPA, a mildly piney hopped moderation.

Another smooth crystalline watered moderation, Hazy Bae NEIPA, scattered lemon zest, orange marmalade, tart passionfruit and tangy papaya alongside mild vanilla yogurt souring above an oated wheat base.

Flagship NEIPA, Skillbilly, let limey grapefruit souring, candied orange and tangy tangerine pick up salty herbal peppering and minor pine tones.

“Seductive’ Pink Lacey Sour Ale allowed lactose-milked souring to seep into salted raspberry puree and ancillary passionfruit-guava tartness over silken oats.

After Mc Lean departed for Five Dimes Brewery in Westwood, NJ, I revisited July ’22 on a sweltering Sunday to try six more River Outpost brews.

Stylishly dryer and slightly hoppier, Pop Off Wit allowed grassy herbage and barnyard funk to penetrate its subtler orange peeled coriander expectancy.

Also dryer than its usual style, Itchy Bon Saison, let acrid farmhouse leathering soak up the laidback fennel-tinged dried fruit spicing.

Placing herbal lemon musk and dry hay-like graining across the sweet fruited malt plain gave Timp Torne Maibock a balanced blend.

Salty coriander-seeded lemon lime souring engaged white peach-pureed Peg Leg Peach Gose, finishing with a slightly acidic candied peach tartness.

Sessionable Cabin Boy IPA let lemony orange tanginess plus mild mango-pear-cantaloupe snips receive grassy pine hop astringency.

Amber grain toasting fortified the Citra-hopped fruiting of High Tor Red IPA, leaving lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess and spicy pineapple tartness upon sugared pale malts.

BULL N BEAR BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Bull N Bear Brewery (Summit) - 2021 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor  Bull n Bear Brewery | Delicious Craft Beer | Brewery In Summit, NJ

SUMMIT, NEW JERSEY

Launched in December ’20, Summit’s BULL N BEAR BREWERY holds its own with formidable local competitors Trap Rock, Twin Elephant, Untied and Lions Roar. Utilizing a rear-stationed 10-barrel steam system with a reverse osmosis water filter adding a clean finish to each tidy elixir, this tavern-like downtown pub creates crushable stylistic fare.

Founding owner Will Dodge, a Belgian beer lover, teamed up with head brewer Mike Formisano, a nationally recognized award-winning home brewer leaning towards traditional German and English styled brews, to solidify the menu at this cozy gray-walled Central Jersey hotspot.

An inconspicuous glass-doored, wood-floored workshop with left side serving station countering a few wood chairs, Bull N Bear’s stainless steel brewing tanks create the superbly stylistic varietal selections, some with an added twist.

My wife and I enjoyed ten sundry selections on a sunny Saturday at noon, September ’21.

The Brewery | Bull n Bear Brewery

Earthen amber-grained minerality surfaced softly for dryly dewy California Common Stock, a traditional steam beer utilizing herbal Goldings hops for a mild English-styled bittering.

Crisply autumnal Von Albrecht Oktoberfest let dewy foliage sweeten its compost-like field graining and brisk red-orange fruiting for simple seasonal splendor.

Raw honeyed spicing slid into mildly embittered hop astringency for Investment Grade Honey Blonde, an easygoing off-dry moderation.

Lemony banana, clove and coriander graced Hedge Fund Hefe, leaving salty Noble-hopped herbal remnant upon its sourdough bottom.

Slightly sweet coriander-spiced orange zesting faded into mild banana tartness and teasing lemongrass-chamomile herbage to set up Wit-Collar Crime, a dryer than usual Belgian-styled witbier.

Sweet ‘n sour orange pureed spicing and Belgian candi-sugared yeast hid musky herbage for Tranche Saison, an efficient farmhouse ale with mild barnyard acridity.

Dryer stylishly, Saint Alphonsus Dubbel plied raisin, plum and prune expectancy to tea-like tobacco roasting and starchy plantain tartness, limiting its candi-sugared tingle.

Sprightly Pyramid Pale Ale tossed dry orange, tangy tangerine, tart cherry and sweet peach at rich caramelized malts, gaining a mild wood parch (reminiscent of West Coast IPA’s).

Sharply spiced tropical fruiting embraced Mango Contango IPA, regaling its tangy mango entry with lemon-limed grapefruit and pineapple tartness as well as wispy peach-papaya snips above turpentined pine sapping.

Wood-burnt dark chocolate, dry hop-charred coffee nuttiness and dark-roast barley malts secured Mackey’s Nitro Irish Stout, a smoothly creamed soft-tongued delight.

LIONS ROAR BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Lions Roar Brewing

WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY

In the heart of Westfield, LIONS ROAR BREWING COMPANY became the “Pride of the South Side” when co-owning spouses, Tim and Corrine Grant, opened this rustic cement-floored warehouse nanobrewery during February ’21 as a friendly street-cornered neighborhood pub. Beginning as party-throwing home brewers, their love for Euro-styled beers and beyond proved inspirational as the local community supported the couple’s efforts from the humble beginning.

Fun-loving carnivalesque windowed caricatures line the frontage of this white brick-topped industrial edifice. A large black and white-meshed mural blazes the back wall. The steam pipe-fitted draught lines drawn from the stainless steel brew tanks pour handcrafted product from the right side serving station.

A backyard wood-covered beer garden tent with plastic furnishings offered plenty of outside seating as we grabbed all five available beers this sunny Saturday afternoon, September ’21.

Effervescent light body, La Patria Italian Pilsner, plied honeyed amber graining to lightly lemon-soured herbal Saaz-hopped florality over its mild doughy bread bottom for a smoothly clean finish.

Dryly raw-honeyed phenols secured Where’s The Babysitter Blonde Honey Pale Ale, picking up grassy Noble hop herbage above milled grain flouring.

Brisk lemony orange tanginess and candied tangerine lingered sharply for How Great! Hazy Strong Pale Ale, placating its pale malt sugared base.

Ambitious Fallin’ For Her Autumn Brown Ale bettered its staid stylistic rivals with vanilla-beaned ginger, clove, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg pleating crisp hop foliage and mild toffee sweetness for a French Toast-like dessert.

Not to be outdone, Sleep’s For Losers Cold Brew Coffee Ale utilized creamily milk-sugared Sumatrian coffee to amplify its brown chocolate, espresso and hazelnut influence, leaving mild peppery heat at the mocha-induced finish.

ASHTON BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Checking Out the Bad Ash Brews at Ashton Brewing - Brewery | Ashton Brewing Company, Middlesex, NJ | United States

MIDDLESEX, NEW JERSEY

Meeting out in Denver while touring Colorado brewpubs, the husband-wife team of Steven and Donna Ashton soon settled in Jersey to open a worthy brewery near the heart of Middlesex. Occupying a gray brick Industrial space, ASHTON BREWING COMPANY had its soft opening March ’20 (before Covid hit) but marked its Grand Opening September 18, 2021 (and closed November ’24).

An Ashton Brewing emblem above the overhead door welcomes patrons to the cozy red brick-walled interior (and a neon Taproom sign sits atop the main entrance). The epoxy-floored pub features a six-seat wood-topped serving station and small couched lounge area. A white awning covered the community-tabled front deck.

A cement-floored, back-spaced storage facility included stainless steel brewtanks, a canning line and large cooler. Ashton’s brews ran the gamut from sessionably traditionalist fare to richly creamed nightcaps to Euro-styled lagers.

On Labor Day ’21 weekend stopover, my wife and I imbibed fourteen niftily diversified libations.

Ashton Brewing Has the Right Stuff

Efficient Czech-styled pilsner, Jersey Dreamin,’ let mild dewy mossing seep into orange-oiled lemon musk and floral-spiced Saaz-hopped herbage to its honeyed biscuit spine.

Dewy copper-toned Czech dark lager, Beach Badges, retained a wattle-seeded chocolate roast for its lightly beechwood-smoked barleymalts.

Mossy maize-dried, leafy-hopped, bread-crusted Festus Haggen, an Octoberfest-styled golden lager, stayed crisply clean.

Easygoing That’s How Love Gose activated lemon-twisted Himalayan sea salting for floral-tinged key lime tartness above its straw wheat bottom.

“Mellow’ hazy yellow-glowed Take 5 Pale Ale had Citra-hopped yellow grapefruit, orange and pineapple zesting rise above herb-tinged pine tones contrasting mildly creamed crystal malts.

Toasted amber-grained tobacco roast crisping secured Scarlet Red Ale, leaving red-orange fruiting upon its earthen truffle rusticity.

Tart strawberry candied piquancy gained spritzy lemondrop spark for dry cream ale, Strawberry Alarm Clock, a citric-splashed daquiri knockoff with a cracked wheat base.

Sweetish ‘pink saison,’ La Vie En Rose, provided ginger-backed hibiscus florality for white-wined Zinfandel tannins and distant white peppered blackberry snips.

Butterfly pea flowering provided mild green tea bittering for uniquely hybridized dry-hopped blue velvety farmhouse ale, Stella Blue, caressing white-peppered lavender, floral-spiced blueberry and tart pomegranate over damp barnyard acridity.

An IPA collaboration with nearby Trap Rock, dry beige-hazed moderation, Ash Rock, brought dry Sauvignon grape esters, Hallertau Blanc-hopped white wining and mild grapefruit zesting to delicate oats base.

Brut champagne bubbled IPA, The Other One – Brut, allowed lemony grapefruit-orange zesting to reach the sparkling wine surface above acidulated maize-flaked malts.

Enthusiastic flagship IPA, Your Lips…Are Juicy, plied brisk orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess, buoyant papaya-pineapple tropicalia  and spritzy lemon liming to honeyed pale malts.

Offshoot blood orange-doused NEIPA, Your Lips…Are Bloody!, worked zesty grapefruit, orange, pineapple and papaya tanginess and spiced tangerine licks into its earthen pale malt graining.

Chalky chocolate-dried nuttiness provoked Billy 2 Hats, an extra dark mild English brown ale with caramel-burnt coffee staining.

EAST ROCK BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

East Rock Brewing Company & Beer Hall – Brewery Ratings

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT

On the northern outskirts of town five miles from Yale Bowl or the inner city, New Haven’s EAST ROCK BREWING COMPANY opened in July 2018 and quickly became a splendid cafeteria-like family friendly neighborhood beer hall specializing in traditional German-inspired beers. Inside a cavernous terra cotta-bricked light Industrial warehouse, East Rock’s ample community-tabled 12-draught tap room features a rounded 20-seat bar on an epoxy cement floor with a right-walled “Rediscover Lager” wood emblem celebrating their time-honored Bavarian craft brews.

Co-founding head brewer, Tim Wilson (former quality controller for Jack’s Abby), operates the enormous windowed brewing space at the rear. Serving all of Connecticut since before my initial August ’21 visit, East Rock’s upcoming Octoberfest’s already sold out.

A wood-paneled front deck expands on both sides of the glass-enclosed front entrance. My wife and I grab a few seats outdoors to down four straightforward prospects. I’d already consumed Hopfen Lager and Black Lager two years back (see Beer Index).

East Rock Brewing Company | Visit CT

Dry Helles-styled lightweight, Lager, a cumulous-headed yellow body, let herb-tinged lemon musk, celery-watered fennel seeding and doughy raw-honeyed malts coalesce.

Crisp dewy mossing sideswipes pasty Vienna malt pasting and musky fungi retreat for Vienna Lager, leaving orange-rotted tangerine tang upon its damp-grained truffle earthiness.

Sweet tea-leafed cereal grain crisping, toasted caramel malting and mild orange oiling paced Oktoberfest, an amiable amber lager.

Bright ‘n lively India Pale Lager, Goat Herder, let sharply spiced lemon-peeled grapefruit bittering, zesty orange peel tang and distant passionfruit-pear-watermelon snips gain peaty compost-tinged resinous pining for pungently hop-dried, citrus-dominated medium body.

URBAN LODGE BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

Urban Lodge Brewing Co. – Brewing Persuasions  Urban Lodge Brewing (Connecticut) - 2021 All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) - Tripadvisor

MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT

In the heart of Manchester, coolly rustic neighborhood pub, URBAN LODGE BREWING COMPANY, opened its doors August, 2019 and quickly helped revitalize this former silk haven. Reworking a dilapidated building, head brewing co-owner Ryan Fagan enjoys crafting “crushable” beers easy to consume in the totally relaxing ‘lodge’ atmosphere.

Metal furnishings line the linoleum floor leading back to its earthen flat-bricked wood-topped serving station with eighteen draught handles and scenic Hartford landscape canvas at the rear.

There are three individual turf-grounded sofa lounge sections amongst the family-friendly interior and a large black metal-gated backyard deck with marbled pavers, a central fire pit and ample plant life recalls an English garden. Brewtanks are stationed in the wood-shingled kiosk.

The beautiful graffiti-styled mountain-ranged cityscape painting sprawled across the deck serves as a breathtaking landmark.

My wife and I downed five of the thirteen available brews on our pre-dinner August ’21 Sunday afternoon trip.

“Gateway” lawnmower fodder, light-bodied golden ale, Morning Mist, provided lemony orange-grapefruit sunshine to honey-spiced pale malting.

Dewy Irish Ale, Emerald Shores, yielded honeyed caraway sweetness, prune-licked dried fruiting and tobacco roast crisping.

Dry floral-spiced tropical fruiting generated vibrant pineapple tartness, orange peel sweetness, yellow grapefruit bittering, lemon zesting and peach candying for bark-like resinous pining of Maui, a juicily rewarding NEIPA with starchy amber grained base.

Sweet anise-dipped vanilla stickiness doused the smoked wood bittering of Fireside, a heavy vanilla porter with sugared coffee, milk chocolate, hazelnut cake and spiced toffee undertones.

Dry coffee-stained dark chocolate bittering consumed Pop’s Milk Stout, leaving hazelnut-glazed sweetness upon its cola nutty backend.

COUNTER WEIGHT BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

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HAMDEN, CONNECTICUT

Exhibiting their motto of “exploring innovative methods,” bucolic hillside pub, COUNTER WEIGHT BREWING COMPANY (located two miles south of Quinnipiac University) allowed former New England Brewing Company owner, Matt Westfall, and head brewer, Sean Piel, to refine many popular ale styles, embrace German pilsners and delve into ‘passion projects.’

Opening its doors at a former retrofitted gym in 2017, the rustic white aluminum-topped beige-bricked Industrial taproom features a wood-floored, right side, twelve draught bar with beautiful mosaic wood side wall and tidy coffer wood ceiling.

Four community tables and barrel seating are available indoors. Upstairs, an extra tap room has more community seating. Outside, a butterscotch-hued fenced patio with blue umbrellas is where my wife and dog join me to try seven sturdy brews on a sunny Saturday afternoon, August ’21.

I’d already enjoyed conventional flagship IPA, Headway, a few years hence (reviewed in Beer Index).

CTMQ&A: Matt Westfall of Counter Weight Brewing

On draught, traditional pilsner Workhorse is Counter Weight’s ‘core beer.’ Its cool lagered keller-styled crisping allowed dry raw-honeyed husked grain leathering, grassy Noble-hopped lemon musk and herbed alfalfa acridity to politely unite.

Herbaceous Coolship Kellerbier retained spritzy lemon-candied tartness and grassy hop astringency atop bready whole grain malts. Simply excellent!

Toasty oak-conditioned Czech pils, Drevo, let spritzy lemon zest, musky raw graining, mild Saaz hop bittering and dry spicing coalesce.

Sweet-breaded Vienna malting engaged Fest Bier, a Marzen-styled lager with lemony orange desiccation contrasting floral-daubed honey spicing beneath the soft grain surface.

Buttery banana-breaded CW Hefeweizen gained bubblegum sugaring and subtle clove spicing above its herbal Tettnang-hopped pilsner malt base.

Lemony orange rind bittering anchored double dry-hopped IPA, Superfluous, picking up mango-peach-pineapple subtleties to contrast herb-tinged pine resin.

Zestful glowing yellow-hazed IPA, Creature Preacher, utilized fruitful Citra/Galaxy hops for its bright lemony grapefruit-tangerine effervescence and spicy mango-papaya-pineapple splash hovering above hearty caramelized pale malts.

NEW PARK BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

West Hartford Business Buzz: November 2, 2020 - We-Ha | West Hartford News

WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

Becoming West Hartford’s first craft beer operation on March 25, 2017, NEW PARK BREWING boasts a rotation of ‘originally designed’ recurrent, seasonal and one-off elixirs with popular hoppy IPA, Cloudscape, leading the way. Set in a 19th century-built Industrial zoned edifice with high ceiling, cement floors and decorative wood mosaics, the casual juke joint’s a popular attraction for the so-called streetcar suburb.

Managing the 2,500 square foot warehouse, New Park owner John Doyle hired home brewing biomedical scientist Alexander Dee to man the upgraded tanks installed during Covid 19 shutdown upon my August ’21 sojourn to the Nutmeg State. Twelve reclaimed wood-planked taps at the chestnut-topped serving station provided the varied suds emanating from the windowed right side stainless steel tanks or the nearby barrel aging room.

Ten community benches, a few wood tables, a host of Edison lights and back-walled surfboards garnish the white-walled pub. A wood-barriered community tabled patio and covered outside deck area provide ample extra seating. A private backroom is setup for parties and banquets.

Starting three weeks ago (July ’21), New Park installed a wood-fired pizza hearth at the new arched hole in the wall behind the bar. Organic wine is also available.

The Barrel Room | New Park Brewing

Dewy sweet-leafed mossing and gentle Tettnang hop herbage guided Helles Lager, leaving honeysuckle-perfumed pale malt spicing on the tail end.

Mild lemon lime-salted Don Limon Gose retained a sugary lemonade twist in a limestone-soured oceanic mist.

Sumptuous Market Saison let white-peppered herbage seep into the zesty lemon spritz and mandarin orange licks of its barnyard-dried leathering.

Three fruited Mosaic-hopped Berliner Weisses then caught my attention.

Blackcurrant-clad blackberry and blueberry puree resonated for Blender Black & Blue, a tart citrus-prickled moderation.

Veritable Smoothie-styled Berliner, Blender Tango, conditioned on mango, strawberry and tangerine, stayed ultra-tart as lemony yogurt souring crowded the thickly pureed fruiting.

Mild Blender Bramble, conditioned on strawberry, blueberry and blackberry and reminiscent of a fruited cobbler, placed tart rhubarb-pied boysenberry, cranberry and pomegranate illusions in the back.

Then it was on to a trio of New Park’s durable, rangy India Pale Ales. Though I missed out on flagships, Cloudscape and Headband, these others were equally compelling.

Soft heather-like flowering caressed the mild pine-needled lemon, grapefruit and orange bittering plus ancillary peach-pineapple tang of Heather IPA.

Impactful herb-salted grapefruit, mandarin orange and peach tanginess galvanized wood-toned Expression IPA.

A maltier Imperial IPA alternative, Stereogram, contrasted sugared orange, pineapple, guava and passionfruit spicing with lightly pined herbal hop pungency above gluey wheated oats.

There were no dark ales on draught for my August ’21 visit.

HOG RIVER BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

 

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

In the rustic red-bricked Parkville section of Hartford, HOG RIVER BREWING COMPANY occupies a warehouse backspace in multi-storied Parkville Market, a recently renovated and reenergized food and drink complex.

Owned by German beer-lovin’ husband-wife team, Ben & Joy Braddock, Hog River began operations springtime 2016 and quickly flourished in its historic neighborhood digs (formerly Hartford Rubber Works factory). The Seibel Institute grad previously honed his craft at nearby Thomas Hooker and Willimantic breweries.

The cavernously cement-floored, reclaimed wood-clad, catacomb-like Industrial pub features a ten-seat/sixteen-draught serving station, several community tables, butcher block tables, several gear-related metal machine relics and cozy wood-bound couch lounge (with opposing elongated cafeteria counter). Barrels, tanks and brewing equipment settle at the overhead door.

A spacious outdoor patio fills up during my sunny August ’21 sojourn.

 

Hog River Brewing | Hartford's Craft Brewery

My wife grabs some Parkville chow to down at Hog River as I consume seven wonderfully diverse libations.

Dry earthen grains and wheat-husked astringency provide raw grained rusticity to the citric-spiced hop zesting of Warehouse Pils, an appealing lightweight.

Sweet Scotch-licked Vienna malting, leafy hop dewiness and mild dried fruiting saddled Oktoberfest, a crisp autumnal moderation.

A slightly drier stylistic changeup, Peels & Blossoms Wit forwarded lemon-peeled chamomile tea to coriander-spiced orange tartness and musty white peppered whim.

Tangy pink guava and pineapple puree adjuncts outdone by salty lemon-limed green grape vinegaring and chalky limestone parch penetrating Thingaling Sour, a mildly acidic tropical dry body.

Then came the “Big Beers.” Creamy peanut-buttered dark chocolate malting dominated Princess Butter Cup Chocolate Stout, overriding sweet vanilla-spiced bourbon and port wining plus subtle red grape tartness.

“Luscious” vanilla ice cream-drenched hot fudge sauce sweetened tart maraschino cherry bruise for luxuriously rich Brain Freeze Ice Cream Sundae Stout, leaving bourbon-soaked anise spicing and maple-glazed cocoa nibs splendor upon Graham Cracker honeyed wheat spine.

Heavenly lustrous Caribbean elixir, Mango & Coconut Tripel, aged in Jamaican rum, let mango-pureed coconut toasting, mild vanilla-spiced creaming and ancillary pineapple-salted guava tartness get seeped in buttery Chardonnay wining before boozy phenol ethers hit the tail end.

BRICK & FEATHER BREWERY

United States Brewpubs,

Blog — Stephanie Gaston Designs

TURNERS FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS

Inhabiting a blue-gray paneled river-bound shack in the village of Turners Falls, BRICK & FEATHER BREWERY started operations October ’15 (and closed . Entrepreneurial husband-wife team, Lawrence George (experienced brewer formerly at Flying Fish and Berkshire Brewing) and Emily George specialize in “soft, rounded Belgian and American style ales” in a family friendly light Industrial environment.

Though Brick & Feather’s diminutive white-walled front pub contains only a few community tables and an L-shaped wood top bar in its aquamarine-walled setting, its cement-floored interior extends to an expansive stainless steel brew tank back space (with seven barrel system and canning line).

Right off the canal bike path at an olden bridge on the Connecticut River, B & F craft some of the best brews in the state. I bought five home brews on my July ’21 Pioneer Village journey.

Muskily dry yellow-cleared light body, Montague Gothic Kolsch brought champagne-licked green grape esters and wispily lingered herbal-tinged lemon rind bittering to cracker-like pilsner malts.

Musky straw-dried mineral graining and delicate floral herbage backed the brisk lemony hop fizz of Kitten With A Whip, a Bavarian-styled helles lager.

Lemony grapefruit salting spread to tart green grape, guava and red berry illusions as piney herbal-hopped floral whims gathered for Positively 11th Street, a dry-hopped pale ale.

Semi-sharp citrus spicing rode above dry pale malting for Scotland But Further, another dry-hopped pale ale. Lemony yellow grapefruit spritz mellowed out alongside mild mandarin orange tartness as lollipop-soured strawberry, peach and apricot illusions surfaced.

Exquisite hazy golden glowed Letters From Zelda, a zestful IPA, let pineapple-juiced orange peel tanginess settle alongside mild lemony grapefruit rind bittering and rustic pine resin.

 

TOMS RIVER BREWING

United States Brewpubs,

Toms River Brewing Is Serving Up Their Own Ocean County Path

TOMS RIVER, NEW JERSEY

Assuming the beige marbled brewhouse previously run by Rinn Duin, TOMS RIVER BREWING took over this novel Jersey Shore chateau-like villa springtime 2019. New owner Jim Mulligan’s transformative grand reopening featured head brewer Bob Warzecha’s newly designed wide ranging ales, utilizing natural fruit extracts and flavoring.

A left side community-tabled Beer Garden (with green umbrellas) edges the narrow pub space. A ten-seat L-shaped bar with speckled gray granite top opposes the windowed brew tanks and a few high top tables line the walls of the high ceilinged room.

My wife and I visited TRB, August ’21, to suck down a dozen varied 5-ouncers in the breezy warmth of the Beer Garden.

A well respected holdover from Rinn Duin, St. John’s Irish Red took perfumed hop-spiced red and orange fruiting to caramelized barley-roasted chocolate and toffee whims.

Delightful light-bodied Koastal Kolsch let sweet-riced maize-flaked pilsner malting receive slightly sour lemon-dried Noble hop herbage and wispy floral-daubed botanicals.

Cali-styled Cascade hops provided perfumed lemon oiling to mash-billed corn flaked Kentucky graining for Cal-Tucky Common Ale, a simple carapils-malted moderation.

Diffident coriander-spiced orange zesting slacks off for soapy At Wits End, a grassy herbal hopped witbier with frail white wheat base.

Traditional Polish smoked wheat ale, Thadeusz Piwo (Ted’s Beer), a low alcohol ‘grodiskie,’ promoted beechwood-charred blackened rye graining over proper phenol hop astringency.

Summery watermelon-pureed Jolly Rancher bubblegum knockoff, The Gnar Watermelon Gose, a sea-salted Sour Patch-candied libation with earthen herbal frisk.

Sea-salted peach puree souring guided The Dude Peach Gose, relegating lemony grapefruit bittering.

Tart Belgian-styled hybrid, Celtic Sunrise Blood Orange Pale Ale, rendered salty blood orange, tangerine and clementine spicing for its light herbal soothe.

Sessionable yogurt-soured New England IPA, Gimme Mo,’ brought Motueka-hopped guava, gooseberry and green grape tartness to herb-licked pale malt spicing.

Floral-perfumed citrus spicing guarded white IPA, Windy Seas, forwarding its brisk lemon spritz to the cracker-like spine.

Limey mango salting picked up earthen herbal compost reminder for lactic IPA, Takes Two To Mango, leaving grassy hop astringency on its mild fruited tropicalia.      

Bold dry-hopped Imperial IPA (9% ABV), New Beginnings, placated its sweetly soured passionfruit-addled melon scurry and lemony grapefruit bittering with floral-bound pine tones above plentiful caramel malt sugaring.

Revisited Toms River Brewing mid-July ’24 to enjoy another nine rangy suds.

Mild Blueberry Blonde Summer Ale had a breezy blueberry spritz, polite hop astringency and subdued honeyed wheat base.

“Pillowy” lemony orange spicing introduced What’sa Bro Pale Ale, a lactic milk-sugared NEIPA-derived moderation with tropical Huell Melon hops adding pine-daubed gooseberry and guava tartness to lactose milk-sugared wheat-flaked pilsner malting.

Rustic barnyard graining secured the sharp lemon-soured herbage of Stick Toss Kolsch, thickened by eggy sourdough wheat.

Offbeat hefeweizen, Slice Of Hefen, let spritzy lemondrop soaping and smoke pineapple tartness overtake stylish banana-clove sweetness swiping its thick sourdough bottom.

Tropical lime-salted candied lemon briskness, floral honeysuckle perfuming and spiced redcurrant reached fresh-cut hay barnyard acridity for Barbe Rouge-hopped French red ale, Brewlon Rouge, picking up light fungi musk for its distant rye breading.

Ultra-dry lactic IPA, Boots On The Ground, placed sharp lemony grapefruit rind bittering and lightly hop-charred pine lacquering across peachy mango-passionfruit fodder and wispy floral spicing atop heavily oated wheat creaming.

Interestingly woven Belgian Brown Ale, I Blame A.I., spread mild coconut-toasted cocoa nibs sweetness into subtle molasses-sugared hazelnut, chestnut and almond riffs as well as pureed raspberry snips.

Dry whiskey bent (10.5% ABV) barleywine, No Whining, bent hop-spiced dried fruiting into laid-back chocolate malting, staying a tad thin.

S’mores-inspired pastry stout, Mulligan’s Delight, knocked of a marshmallowy chocolate Graham Cracker sandwich, could’ve been richer, but its ancillary coconut toasting, chocolate pudding skin richness and candied toffee sweetness paid dividends.